Tire maker settles lawsuits

Tire maker settles lawsuits

TOKYO: Bridgestone/Firestone said on Friday it had settled several class action lawsuits with owners of tires involved in massive recalls in 2000 and 2001 over tire models that were linked to a series of deadly accidents in the U.S.

The settlement covered tyre owners who were not injured and did not suffer property damage, said a statement released on Friday, Japan time, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC, the North American unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp., said it would spend US$15.45 million on a three-year consumer education program focusing on tyre inflation, use and maintenance.

It also would pay about 45 people a maximum of $2,500 each for financial losses, said a Bridgestone spokesman.

Bridgestone had suffered losses since 2000 when it was forced into a series of massive recalls due to accidents involving Firestone-fitted Ford Explorer vehicles, which U.S. authorities say claimed 271 lives. -- AFP